Newcastle United are “seriously interested” in signing Manchester United winger Jesse Lingard in January, according to Fabrizio Romano, and have reportedly made contact with the player already.
What’s the latest?
The 28-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to West Ham United, where he spent the second half of last season on loan. However, reports have emerged that Newcastle have made the England international their number one target for the January transfer window.
Game-time has certainly been hard to come by for Lingard since returning to Manchester United after his loan spell in east London. With a new manager at United in Ralf Rangnick, Lingard will need to decide whether he wants to stay at Old Trafford and fight for his place or pursue a new challenge. However, with his contract in Manchester expiring in June, it seems likely that he will push for an exit.
Having been a revelation for the Hammers last season and a major factor in them breaking into the top six, a return to the London Stadium would certainly make sense. The £19.8m-rated attacking midfielder scored nine goals and set up a further five in 16 appearances for the Irons, settling in immediately.
However, should the Magpies be able to lure Lingard to the northeast, they could well be provided with a major boost to their survival hopes. Eddie Howe’s side have only netted 17 goals in 15 games this season and could really do with extra firepower in the final third if they are to avoid relegation to the Championship.
It’s no secret that Newcastle will have money to spend after the £300m takeover in October, and a swoop for Lingard would certainly make sense.
The Magpies have struggled to find quality from their wide men, with neither Ryan Fraser nor Miguel Almiron finding the back of the net yet this season and Allan Saint-Maximin scoring just once in his last ten league appearances.
There is no doubt that Newcastle will need to spend in January, and a swoop for Lingard would certainly be a shrewd purchase which could go down a treat with the Tyneside faithful given how his spell at West Ham rejuvenated him so drastically.
In other news: Howe drops four-word injury update which will leave Newcastle fans buzzing
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